so I mulled it over for a while until a good approach became apparent - Chloe Lane
At the point of trade, some things are best kept unsaid; everyone needs to think that they are the one getting the better deal. And not everything can be valued by a scale and bag of weights.
I recall a documentary that described a peculiar working relationship ants and caterpillars sometimes employ with each other. One particular species of leaf-dwelling ant would provide a particular species of caterpillar (who luckily didn't eat leaves) with protection from predators in exchange for a tasty mucus-like liquid the caterpillar produced. A fair trade, some might say.
However, on the sly the caterpillar would often help itself to some of the ants' larvae. This could be seen as a sneaky misuse of trust – though the ants were in fact playing what they thought was their own devious game of one-upmanship. The ants – a society more culturally in tune than anyone expected – were more interested in listening in on the wonderful secret songs the caterpillars sang amongst themselves: a sneaky violation on a more personal level.
Though this might seem like a strange comparison of trade, the interesting question is, was either actually aware of the other's doing? Were both species simply playing out their own idea of an undisclosed fair trade, or was each actually being done in by the other? The secret is in the fact that neither was willing to answer.
cérémonial n. m .
The act of trading is indeed a fragile process, one that should not be rushed, and one that depends on at least a local standard of etiquette. This is most important when undertaking an exchange of ideas or maybe even just observing one – especially if you want a good deal.
The mode of etiquette best utilized here is most interested in a state of comfort than a polite manner. For this purpose the drawn line of etiquette has become a little smudged. Sometimes things can go wrong, and sometimes things can go right. Sometimes things can even go wrong and then right, as the ants and caterpillars might have demonstrated.
I talked to Sarah Gruiters, one of the artists contributing to Crease Magazine's We Arrived and Decided to Trade: Crease Trader project at the 2006 Next Wave Festival. An exquisite corpse fiend from way back, her love of the exchange is significant.
You will often find that Sarah's objects have bits missing, or maybe the bit is all there is: a whole and a third of a notebook, a redesigned and reconstructed dinosaur model, a seat without a chair. She likes the spaces in-between the rest.
To participate in the exchange her objects offer, Sarah believes in this need to get comfortable first. This does not mean one needs to feel like they can sit down on something before anything else happens. But rather one should experience a feeling that can be likened to walking past and away and then turning back with a smile. Like the look on someone's face when they spot a welcome expression in an uncomfortable space. There should be a sense of surprise, yet a comforting knowing and relief as well. A rarified experience is less rewarding. Sarah has a desire to move beyond just the familiar.
Sarah talks to me about chairs, and how they are clinically proven to not be the best and healthiest way for humans to sit. A simple case of habit, or manners, has led us to not even question what feels so normal it is ingrained. The haughty cultural significance of being seated was lost many a moon ago and yet apparently we are still not completely comfortable. It would seem real comfort does go beyond a mere familiarity; you should probably try observing her objects from a lying down position now.
Having the right amount of information is critical too. There seems to be a problem with having both too little and too much information when it comes to a point of trade: a sort of poker game gone awry. You don't want to give yourself away entirely, yet you want to be able to stay in the game, honestly. A balance should be reached where you can give a little bit up yet still get a bit more back – a careful exquisite corpse discussion in the flesh.
I talked to Sarah Gruiters, one of the artists contributing to Crease Magazine's We Arrived and Decided to Trade: Crease Trader project at the 2006 Next Wave Festival. An exquisite corpse fiend from way back, her love of the exchange is significant.
You will often find that Sarah's objects have bits missing, or maybe the bit is all there is: a whole and a third of a notebook, a redesigned and reconstructed dinosaur model, a seat without a chair. She likes the spaces in-between the rest.
Sarah talks to me about chairs, and how they are clinically proven to not be the best and healthiest way for humans to sit. A simple case of habit, or manners, has led us to not even question what feels so normal it is ingrained. The haughty cultural significance of being seated was lost many a moon ago and yet apparently we are still not completely comfortable. It would seem real comfort does go beyond a mere familiarity; you should probably try observing her objects from a lying down position now.
the antitrades
Like a westerly wind above and against the rest, there also seems to be an agreement that a shift in focus – or direction – is still dynamic and essential. For the focus of trade is easily altered. While the loudest barterer is blindly bargaining, the ants and caterpillars have already altered the stakes. I can see how dark glasses might come in handy here.
The rules are certainly up for interpretation, and what you may or may not have to exchange does not always affect your participation. With the right amount of information there is always room enough to just play along, or play the other along.
And playing the silence may also be keeping the peace: it would seem that between the ants and the caterpillar, silence not only instigated the new point of trade, but would also imply that each thinks they are the one getting the better deal. I guess there is no point in starting a fight then, is there?
And playing the silence may also be keeping the peace: it would seem that between the ants and the caterpillar, silence not only instigated the new point of trade, but would also imply that each thinks they are the one getting the better deal. I guess there is no point in starting a fight then, is there?
Right - Sarah Gruiters , Piece, 2006
